Album Review: "I Said I Love You First" - Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco

I Said I Love You First Selena Gomez Cover Art

The first time Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco collaborated was for Gomez’s second studio album entitled “Revival”. The two announced their engagement in December of 2024 and began teasing new music in January of 2025 with clips of Gomez in her home studio posted to Blanco’s TikTok. The artists set up the tracks as a narrative, beginning with the end of a failed relationship and the different feelings involved in the development of a new one. This album is set up as a love story, chronicling their meeting and falling in love.

TRACKLIST

I Said I Love You First

Younger and Hotter Than Me

Call Me When You Break Up feat. Gracie Abrams

Ojos Tristes feat. The Marias

Don't Wanna Cry

Sunset Blvd

Cowboy

Bluest Flame

How Does It Feel To Be forgotten

Do You Wanna Be Perfect

You Said You Were Sorry

I Can't Get Enough feat. Tainy & J Balvin

Don't Take It Personally

Scared of Loving You

Selena Gomez is an American actress and singer. She was born Selena Marie Gomez in Grand Prairie, Texas on July 22nd, 1992. Her career began when she acted in “Barney and Friends” in 2002, but it took off after she played Alex Russo in Disney Channel show “The Wizards of Waverly Place”. She signed with Hollywood Records in 2008 and created the band “Selena Gomez and the Scene”, releasing successful albums. After that, she began her career as a solo artist and has released multiple albums that have topped charts upon her transition to Interscope Records. She works with numerous charity organizations and is an advocate for mental health awareness and gender and racial equality. She founded the cosmetic company Rare Beauty and the non-profit Rare Impact Fund.

I Said I Love You First

The album starts with an emotional speech that Gomez gave to the cast of “Wizards of Waverly Place”, thanking them for their support and promising to make them proud. This speech is unbelievably sweet and is super raw and vulnerable. In a sort of “full-circle” moment, the addition of this recording tying her back to her earlier career activities adds to the feeling and atmosphere of the album that will no-doubt touch listeners everywhere.

Younger and Hotter Than Me

Upon first listen, one may assume that this song is about insecurities plenty of people feel in a relationship. One may constantly wonder about if the person they are seeing will find something newer and more interesting and if they will be replaced. However, this song speaks to a much larger trend within the lives of women. Gomez stated that this song reflects the pressure women face, especially child stars, to not become obsolete in their own lives. Every day, women force themselves to evolve so that they are not left behind with the “old” in favor of the “new” and the bright and shiny.

Call Me When You Break Up feat. Gracie Abrams

This song is about the complicated situation of desiring someone that does not belong to you. Gomez said that this song is about the crushing reality of friends favoring romantic relationships over their platonic connections. As a result, those friendships tend to fizzle out and die, leaving one party crushed and wanting what once was. However, this song is beautifully written to where it can apply to a variety of situations, such as wanting to date someone who is already taken.

Ojos Tristes with The Marias

Breakups are a messy situation and can sometimes be more complicated than “I don’t like you, I’m leaving”. In this fantastic track, Gomez tells the story of having to leave someone despite not wanting to and being hurt by their tears. This sound blends the worlds of acoustic and electronic music in a way that creates a work of art. The melody is catchy and will have audiences humming it hours after listening.

Don’t Wanna Cry

A powerful track describing complex relationships with others and oneself, “Don’t Wanna Cry” is about the process of choosing yourself. This track depicts complicated feelings of being hurt constantly and still not willing yourself to leave. Eventually, you have enough, and you let go of the hope that things will change and choose to walk into the unfamiliar for hopes of finding better. Gomez solidifies herself as a role model in this track. It is almost a pinnacle of the “young girl” experience to hold on to bad things because of the false hope that things can change. It is so incredibly valuable for women to talk about this experience and teach each other that things can be so much better if you can choose that path for yourself.

Sunset Blvd

“Sunset Blvd” is a classic example of a love song with a mature twist. The name itself has personal meaning to the couple, as it is where their first date was. In a wonderful flurry of emotion, this track depicts the mental and physical sensations of a new relationship. The line “But fill you up what’s broken” may also allude to the past hurt and mistakes it took to get to this moment and find each other. This paints a picture of how every misstep and broken heart turned each other into the person that they each love, which is a beautiful concept to explore.

Cowboy

This track is a more sensual song. It depicts Gomez in a position of power, instructing someone on how to properly love her. She describes this work as “sexy” and “fun”, and listeners couldn’t agree more. It describes the exciting and intimate components of an adult relationship while still being empowering. This maintains Gomez’s platform while allowing her to mature and progress through life as anyone else.

Bluest Flame

This track is fun and exciting and reflects Charli XCX’s contributions to the work. The chorus is deliciously upbeat, and the repetition allows for a wonderful dance song. Lyrics such as “Ah, never get you out my mind / Never get you out my brain” relate to the excitement of a new relationship, and how it feels as though you can’t get enough of the other person.

How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten

This song is one about Gomez and Blanco’s personal experiences. It is an honest dissection of a narrative in their lives. The lyrics suggest the account of a former lover, friend, connection coming back into someone’s life expecting the typical back and forth emotional game, only to find that they have moved on to something better, something stable and trustworthy. While being a criticism of immature behavior and a song of devotion to the newer relationship, the song is also oddly empowering as it praises the process of abandoning what is unhealthy and familiar and doing better for oneself.

Do You Wanna Be Perfect

Gomez describes this track as a “shake up” in the middle of the album. It acts as another interlude and discusses societal pressures to be perfect. With the line of “With six easy payments of $139”, comments on how beauty industries pray on women’s insecurities to sell products and make a buck. Rather than selling, say, a skincare product, they are selling a lifestyle of being put-together, responsible, and “perfect”. This track is a humorous jab at the unreachable finish-line set and impossible double-standards, as well as a call for listeners to love themselves.

You Said You Were Sorry

Dreams are an exceedingly powerful thing in relationships, and these fictional visions can create very real feelings that mirror real occurrences with an almost disturbing accuracy. The wistfulness of this track’s instrumentals creates a reflective atmosphere that is bound to entice listeners and encourage them to reflect on their own experiences.

I Can’t Get Enough feat. Tainy and J Balvin

The reggae-infused backing of the next track creates a dynamic shift in energy and reflects previous collaborations between Blanco and Gomez. The energetic electric-pop song is on the topic of the excitement of a new relationship. The puppy-love era where both sides want to be around each other all the time is demonstrated in this upbeat track.

Don’t Take It Personally

The next track is minimal and light in its instrumental, but not at all lacking in emotional value. Gomez states that this song is not from her perspective, but rather it is a song that is being sung to her. This dynamic switch of perspective is genius and allows for the reflection on a variety of valuable topics. First of all, there is the topic of resentment for people we see as romantic “competition”. Whether a current partner’s old fling, or a past partner’s new one, it can feel like a punch in the gut imagining your “person” in the arms of another. However, it is not right to pour that hatred on the new person. This song is relatable and tells listeners that everyone is human and has areas in their life to heal.

Scared of Loving You

The production of this final track is touchingly soft and immediately creates a reflective atmosphere. Past experiences do not go away simply because they are not currently happening. Everyone carries all versions of their past selves with them and all the feelings that came with being that person. In new relationships, it can be hard to remember that things are different, and a lot of old fears may arise. Trust is a process, not an action, and one must fight the fear and give the new person a chance to be different than the others.

I find this album incredibly beautiful. Gomez is not just a singer; she is a storyteller. Combined with the production and writing prowess of Blanco and other featured artists, this album proves itself as a timeless masterpiece. Not only is it artfully crafted, but it is also wonderfully vulnerable. Through their experiences, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are allowing other people to process their own lives. Listening to this album was a wonderful opportunity for emotional introspection and musical immersion, and I cannot wait to see what activities are in store for the couple.

Written By Victoria Fitzgerald